


The Senator and the Section Chief

by mcgarrygirl78



Series: The Story of Us [11]
Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Drama, F/M, Humor, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-21
Updated: 2013-09-21
Packaged: 2017-12-27 05:39:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,338
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/975080
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mcgarrygirl78/pseuds/mcgarrygirl78
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“When I said I didn’t want to fight with you that was marriage speak for we’re done talking about it.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Senator and the Section Chief

**Author's Note:**

> SPOILERS FOR THE BROTHERS HOTCHNER AND THE REPLICATOR!

** JULY, 2013 **

“You could retire.”

Really? Thank you.” Erin nodded at the server as he refilled her white wine. “Why would I do that?”

“You’ve done your twenty five years.” Mark said, cutting his filet mignon. “You’ve given more than your share to the Bureau.”

“This has never been about working until I was eligible for pension. I love my job. I've always loved my job, Mark. It’s had some ups and downs but I've earned it all.”

“You were almost killed.”

“I know that. Somehow I'm reminded of it every single day. I don’t often go out in the field anymore; it’s a rare occurrence.”

“You had to follow when the damn Avengers decided to save New York.”

“Mark…”

“You're not going to be able to convince me that they're anything but a bunch of dangerous individuals who think only of themselves and not the disasters they leave in their wake.” He held up his hand. “Don’t even try.”

“I am their leader.” Erin said.

“Oh please.” He rolled his eyes. “Nick Fury may have mixed all the chemicals but he couldn’t control the explosion that came after. That was Stark’s fault.”

“It was Loki’s fault and when the hell did our lives become an _Avengers_ analogy?” Erin rolled her eyes too.

“I'm just saying…”

“What are you saying?” she asked.

“I'm saying that I'm not going to lose you because of Aaron Hotchner’s recklessness. And to find out that his brother was smack in the middle of this mess. A clear conflict of interest, but did he give a damn? Of course he didn’t. He brought his team out on a weekend to save his skin. And you went with them.”

“I approved the case and escorted the team to New York. The last time I checked that was my job. It wasn’t about Sean Hotchner, Mark, it was about batches of bad ecstasy boiling people from the inside out. We all thought he was a victim as well.”

“Aaron Hotchner made sure of that, didn’t he?” Mark asked. “John Curtis lured you all there. He knew there was no way you’d let that team go rogue again.”

“The only reason John Curtis could follow us as closely as he did is because the DOJ brought him right into the inner sanctum. He was shipped to Kansas City for a reason. If you think it was just the Amerithrax case then you're sorely mistaken.”

“He sprang a trap and Aaron Hotchner stepped into it. As usual, he wasn’t the one to pay the consequences.”

“So you would’ve preferred Aaron’s death?” Erin asked. “Tell me that’s not what you're saying.”

“If I was choosing between a man who’s been a thorn in my side and my wife, that’s not really a question.”

“He has a son Mark…they're on their own. I know you're angry but there's no need to be heartless.”

“You have a son too. You also have two daughters. Your children need their mother.”

“I don’t want to talk about this anymore. It’s ruining my appetite.”

They ate their dinner in silence. Six weeks ago the BAU traveled to New York and right into the arms of the so-called Replicator. Erin was nearly killed and so was Alex Blake. The Section Chief had been closing in on the killer for months. She now bore a permanent reminder that he was an inside job. She had been right, not that she had the energy or the inclination to do a victory lap at the moment.

“This is a mess that the DOJ needs to be cleaning up, not the Bureau.” Erin sampled the lobster on her Chicken Oscar. “It’s funny how certain names haven’t come up at all in the conversation, or any other.”

“His record was spotless, Erin. All signs pointed to an exemplary agent who made one mistake. He wasn’t going to pay the rest of his life for it. That can't be said for certain members of the BAU.”

“No, Curtis doesn’t have to pay the rest of his life for it.” She shook her head. “He's dead. But he's left a string of victims and their loved ones in his wake. Someone is going to pay. The DOJ will have to answer for the choices they made as well.”

“I know.” Mark nodded. “What would I have done if I lost you?”

“I'm right here.” She reached across the table to caress his hand.

“When I had to hear from Aaron Hotchner that you had nearly died…I wanted to smash his face in.”

“That would’ve been very productive. A senior Senator doesn’t lose his cool under pressure.”

“We used to feel the same about this.”

“No,” she used her hand to make a cutting motion. “I never hated Aaron. His methods, and sometimes the results of them, left much to be desired. I felt justified in my quest to have him booted out of the Bureau, even if I went about it the wrong way. 

“I still feel justified in it. Despite all of that, the number of solved cases they have can't be argued. The more cases we solve and good press we get, the more money the government gives us to get the job done. That’s fact. They practically create a _Hunger Games_ environment for the things we need like tablets and toilet paper.”

“At what cost? The amount of bodies that team has attached to it is too high. It’s never them, its people who love them or have their back or make excuses for their behavior.”

“You can't blame all of that on Aaron Hotchner.” His wife said. “You can't hate him forever.”

“I can do whatever I like. This is an argument you're never going to win.”

“I know.” Her nod was solemn. This wasn’t the first time they'd had it and surely wouldn’t be the last.

“He's going to destroy the BAU.” Mark said. “And Dave Rossi’s going to help him even though he built it from nothing. And you're the person who put it on the map no matter what any of those men say.”

“Actually Thomas Harris put it on the map and, surprise, he was never even there.”

“Can we be serious for a moment?”

“I'm not going to let anyone destroy the BAU.” Erin said.

“You’ve been saying that for over 6 years now and I want to believe you. _You_ want to believe you. But the day Aaron Hotchner listens to anyone but himself will be the day I stop worrying. Or when someone gets a clue and bounces him out on his ass. We can retire together you know. I’ll just announce I’m ending my 2014 campaign.”

“We both agreed to 2020 retirement, Mark. And the last time you truly campaigned in Rhode Island was 1995.”

“While the campaigning is no longer a challenge, the job remains fulfilling.” he said. “Being your husband is more so. This isn’t the ten year plan anymore. We’ve had so many successes. This is the rest of our lives.”

“Do you want to share dessert?” she asked.

“You haven’t even finished dinner.”

“I’ll get a carry out. I'm craving chocolate mousse, I think.”

“Did I ruin our evening?” Mark asked. He knew when Erin started talking about chocolate, wine, or cigarettes in the middle of their conversation that he was about to lose her.

“We’re together, nothing could ever ruin that.”

“I repeat…did I ruin our evening?”

“Almost.” Erin conceded. “Chocolate is going to make it better.”

“Alright.”

Mark flagged the server. He didn’t want to beat up on his wife. She loved her job and was damn good at it. For years, and it wasn’t easy, she kept some kind of leash on Aaron Hotchner and his teammates. She kept all of Quantico running even when her tank was past E. New York was the straw that broke the camel’s back. 

Mark just worried that it would be Erin’s head that ended up on the guillotine. She survived an attempted murder plot only to possibly lose it all anyway. There was a lot of support for her within the higher ranks of the Bureau but Aaron Hotchner seemed to have nine lives. The Senator now knew that his wife had at least two. He didn’t want her to spend the other seven fixing someone else’s disasters.

“Is the meal to your satisfaction, Senator?” he asked when he came to their table.

“It’s lovely. We’d like two cups of coffee and a double chocolate mousse. My wife is craving dessert.”

“We also need two carryout boxes.” Erin said. “It really was delicious but chocolate won out in the end.”

“Yes ma'am.”

The server nodded and walked away.

“I don’t want to fight with you.” Erin spoke in a low tone as she drank her wine. “Sparring is fine, and we’re good at it. I just hate fighting.”

“We’re not fighting.” Mark shook his head. “But I hear you.”

“Something is going to happen soon. I can feel it in my gut. Whatever it is, at least this chapter will be closed. There's more work to be done and we can't have this hanging around our necks while trying to do it. The psychopaths don’t take vacations and we can't either.”

“You shouldn’t have to fall on your sword for their actions, or anyone else’s for that matter.”

“The case was handled by the book and to the letter.” Erin said. “I made sure of that. “Still, the leader has to take full responsibility for the actions of those under her charge.”

“Bullshit Erin. This is what I've been trying to say for years. Those people don’t believe themselves to be under your charge. They think Aaron Hotchner rules the world and the BAU. 

“You run the entire NCAVC and the hundreds of people who make it their livelihood. This is about one team. Let Aaron Hotchner take the responsibility. Let Dave Rossi as the Senior SSA in Charge. Let all of them but be damned if I’ll let you.”

“When I said I didn’t want to fight with you that was marriage speak for we’re done talking about it.”

“It was?” Mark asked.

“Mmm hmm.” Erin nodded.

“I missed the signal.”

“Of course you did. It must be hard as hell to hear anything over the sound of how right you are.”

Mark smiled. “I may have been dusting off my pompous husband card.”

“And you do it so well.” She smiled too. “I have ways of shutting you up.”

“Not now, my love, we’re in public.”

“We won't be in public all night.”

“There are those who don’t know the power of keeping their mouths shut.” Mark said.

“99 of them are friends of yours.”

“Funny.” Mark pointed at her as he laughed. He moved the two small candles on the table, leaning over and kissing his wife. Erin caressed his face and kissed him again.

“I love you.” He mouthed the words.

“I love you too.”

“If you choose to retire, I will stand by your decision.” He sat back down.

“And if I don’t?”

“The same applies. It always applies.”

The server returned to the table with dessert. He collected their dinner plates.

“I’ll bring them right back and ready to go.”

“Thank you.” Erin said.

“Of course ma'am.”

Erin picked up her spoon and began to indulge. Mark took both cups of coffee, making them just the way he and his wife liked them.

“Mmm, yes, that’s exactly what I wanted.” She closed her eyes.

“Let me try.”

She put mousse on the spoon, slipping into her husband’s mouth as Mark put her coffee in front of her.

“Oh…ohhh.” He smiled. “That’s ecstasy.”

“Mmm hmm.”

He picked up his spoon and they ate together. Mark was sure that they could have this conversation a million more times and it would still end in limbo. Erin had always been devoted to the Bureau. She stood out, exceled, and was rewarded greatly for her dedication and hard work. The golden child couldn’t be golden forever. 

Things falling apart at the BAU weren’t her fault. Aaron Hotchner should’ve iced years ago. But there were those who believed that the two brass balls swinging between his legs were enough to keep him around. When he flew in the face of the rules and his superiors, it was seen as bold and refreshing. 

As long as the bureau could take a win and victory lap the rest was seen as collateral damage. Mark had a feeling that this time his wife would be that damage. He needed to be there to catch Erin if she fell. He needed to make sure that Aaron Hotchner was taken down a peg or two and stayed there.

“Are you alright?” Erin asked.

“I am.” He nodded. “I'm having dessert with the best woman in the world. Do you like the coffee?”

“Everything is great.” She smiled. “Things are going to be alright; I promise.”

“I have faith in you, Erin. No matter what happens that’s never going to be shaken. I know your strength, I love your strength, and have no doubt that we’ll both get through this.”

Erin nodded and squeezed his hand. She knew Mark was concerned; she loved him for it. There was no love lost between him and Aaron Hotchner but that wasn’t just because of what happened to Erin in New York. People had been watching the BAU longer than anyone realized. There was no way there wouldn’t be severe repercussions from this case. 

Erin didn’t know if she could protect everyone and didn’t know if she should. So many mixed emotions pumping through her head and heart…they had been since Aaron skype’d them about the ecstasy murders. She didn’t want to think about it anymore tonight. There was chocolate and coffee to be consumed and quality time to spend with her husband. The BAU had her every day. Erin needed a little time for herself right now.

***


End file.
